Small films fail to make a mark

Small films fail to make a mark

The last two months have seen a record number of releases but they've been disasters

M Suganth

This January, the Tamil Film Producers' Council, in an effort to even the field for small films, passed a resolution restricting the release of big films to only festival days. Despite major producers following the diktat, the small films certainly seem to be finding the going tough as a majority of these films have been declared dead on arrival by the trade.
Informs film chronicler Film News Anandan, "March, 2012 has witnessed a record 19 releases, with six films being released on March 30 alone. In fact, the number would have been even higher as a few films had advertised their release dates but backtracked due to various problems including non-availability of screens."
He says that while there were multiple releases on a single weekend in the earlier decades, that happened most only on festival days. "Most of the small films of the past were never this bad as the ones releasing during the last two months," he adds.
So, it comes as no surprise when you hear that 95 per cent of these films performed badly at the box office. Says a leading theatre owner on a condition of anonymity, "Barring 3 and Kadhalil Sodhappuvadu Eppadi (hits) and Kazhugu and Marina (above average), which have managed to break even, most of these films had to be taken off our screens within a week of their release as there were no takers."
In comparison, it was the rereleases of yesteryear films that raked in the moolah. "While the restored version of Karnan is setting records by playing in its fourth week, the other Sivaji film, Thanga Pathakkam, and MGR's Kudiyiruntha Koyil (which were screened exactly for a week) managed to be profitable for the theatre owner," he says. He also adds that even the rerelease of Titanic in its 3D version is doing better than the Tamil releases of the week.
Industry insiders tell us that small film producers go ahead with their release hoping that audiences will choose their film in case they don't get tickets for the film of their choice. "But with multiple entertainment options today, our audiences have turned discerning moviesgoers," they add.
THE BOX OFFICE STORY
NO OF RELEASES
32 (both February & March)
HIT
3, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi, Karnan
AVERAGE
Kazhugu, Marina
BELOW AVERAGE
Aravaan, Muppozhuthum Un Karpanaigal
* Data compiled with inputs from various trade sources

A still from
Nanda Nanditha

No surprise when films like KSE & 3 are considered hit.